William w



(No Model.)

W. W. ATKINSON.

I PANTALOONS'OR GARMENT STRETGHER. No. 384,492.

Patented June 12, 1888.-

ATTORNEY WITNESSES: f

N! PETERS Phblulithogmnber. Wmhington. n. c,

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. ATKINSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO EUGENE PEARSON AND GEORGE P. FREEMAN, BOTH OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PANTALOONS OR GARMENT STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,492, dated June 12, 1888.

Application filed September E10, 1887. Serial No. 250,214. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. ATKIN- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented ccrtain new and useful Improvements in Pantaloons or Garment Stretchers, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing, which [0 isaperspective ofapantaloonsholder embodyiny my improvements.

My invention has relation toaportable pantaloons or garment holder of theform composed of two metal or other frames hinged or connected together and provided with devices for clamping the frames together to securely hold a garment or fabric placed or inserted between them; and it has for its object a simple and economical form of such holder, the frames of 2a which are so connected to one another as to move apart equally from each other from end to end when opened or closed together,whereby anythickness of garment or fabric, or a number of thicknesses of the same within the limit of extent of movement of the frames apart from each other may be inserted between them, and when clamped together they exert an equal pressure upon the garments from end to end of the holder, so that the 0 weight of the garments when suspended exerts an even stretching-pressure from all parts of the holder.

My invention accordingly consists of the novel combination, construction, and arrangement of parts forming a pantaloons or garment holder, as hereinafter described and claimed.

A indicates the holder, composed of two U shaped frames, B B, of flat metal placed parallel to one another with the thin edges of the frames adjacent to form biting surfaces or edges for engaging the fabric or garment inserted between them. The upper extremities, b, of the ends I) of frames B are connected or pivoted to links 0, which in turn have a con 5 tral pivotal connection with a connecting-rod,

D, having an eye, 01, for a hook or clasp, E.

To the ends of one of the frames B are pivoted, preferably, curved or segmental bars G, having teeth or notches g for engagement with pins g on the ends of the remaining frame B,

as shown. These bars G are curved or segmental in form, so that their teeth when brought into engagement with the pins 9 will frictionally engage therewith and clamp the bars to the pins, andin turn lock or clamp the frames B together. The employment of the links 0 admits of considerable extent of movement apart of the frames for the insertion between them of a single fabric, or a number of thicknesses of the same, without straining the holder when its frames are clamped together, and, further, of the frames moving apart equally from end to end, so that when clamped together they press or clamp correspondingly from one end to the other. Consequently the weight of the garment suspended from the holder exerts an equal pressure throughout the width of the same to stretch all parts of the same evenly.

As the details of construction of the fore- 7o going-described holderwinay be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention,

I do not limit myself to that shown and described.

YVhat I claim is 1. A garment holder and stretcher composed of parallel U-shaped frames made of flat or plate bars placed edge to edge and separately pivoted at their ends to links 0, a bar, D, connecting said links, and clamping devices at each end of one of said frames for engagement with studs at corresponding ends of the other of said frames, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of frames B B, having ends b, link-connections O for said ends, segb mental or curved notched bars on the ends of one of said frames, and pins on the ends of the remaining frame for engagement with said bars, substantially as set forth.

3. A garment holder-and stretchercompris- 9.) ing two parallel frames placed edge to edge and having their ends separately pivoted to links 0, a bar, D, connecting said links, and devices at each end of one of the frames for. engagement with the other of the frames for 5 looking or clamping them together, substan tially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM W. ATKINSON.

Vitnesses:

S. J. VAN STAVOREN, CHAS. F. VAN HORN. 

